17TH CENTURY

The present table is distinguished by the simple elegance and refined geometry of its design. The richly textured burl top of this table is set into a rectangular frame, above a tall waist and beaded aprons and supported on long legs terminating in hoof feet. The absence of supporting braces or stretchers or heavily carved surface provide a sense of strength without heaviness. The darker toned, clustered burl top when paired with the minimal lines of this design create a striking contrast of visual and tactile texture, color and materials.

Tables of this form, featuring the high waist, are frequently depicted in Ming-dynasty woodblock prints. Often seen placed against walls or beds, these tables are shown displaying antiques or rocks or for serving wine and food. The small size allowed for a variety of uses both indoors and outdoors and moved about a space as needed. A larger huanghuali table of similar tall waist with legs terminating in hoof feet but supported by ‘giant’s arm’ braces is illustrated by N. Berliner in Beyond the Screen: Chinese Furniture of the 16th and 17th Centuries, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, 1996, p. 130, no. 20. See, also, a huanghuali ‘rock’ table of related construction and similarly elegant proportions sold at Christie’s New York, 22 March 2019, lot 1169.